Gratias Vobis Ago
by LucyLuna
Summary: This is a collection of one-shots written for ten reviewers of my story, "They Didn't Know We Were Seeds", to celebrate it reaching one thousand reviews. Currently: Lily watches on as Severus tutors Scabior and Regulus. Previously: Severus reflects after he returns from his and Lily's original timeline.
1. Framed

**Before you start _Gratias Vobis Ago_ , I feel it necessary to explain this collection just a little. All ten of these one-shots were written for reviewers of _They Didn't Know We Were Seeds_ so that I may show my gratitude for everyone's kind words and to celebrate reaching 1000 reviews (wow!). Some of the one-shots requested by reviewers were for stories written in the Rubble Flowers 'verse. All of those will have a warning at the top of them telling you such and if there are potential spoilers in the story so you can decide if you want or don't want to read it.**

 _Framed  
_

* * *

Kiger-Neko: Severus is accused of stealing something from Albus Dumbledore. He's being framed and he feels as if someone besides the teachers (the culprit) is watching him.

-o-O-o-

It was just the two of them for the moment. The Headmaster and Professor Slughorn had gone to the Slytherin second year dorms a little over ten minutes ago to take a look around for the Deluminator he "stole". Severus didn't do it, of course. Why would he? What was he going to do with a Deluminator? If he _was_ going to be daft enough to take something of the Headmaster's, it'd be one of his books. Severus had been in his office enough times over the past year or so to know he had some very interesting defense books lining his shelves.

From her seat beside the Headmaster's desk, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Mr. Snape, I know you are a clever boy. Surely you understand how much trouble you are in? Stealing from the Headmaster is a great offense," the Deputy Headmistress attempted to reason. "If you own up to your mistake and return the Deluminator right now you can be let off relatively lightly with two month's worth of detention rather than a suspension."

Severus's heart raced at the word. _Suspension._ That would mean going back to Spinner's End. He could already imagine what his Dad would scream at him when he heard. " _I didn't raise my son to be a thief!_ " Severus shivered at the thought. That would only be the start of his troubles too. His dad would make sure he was begging Saint Maria Goretti, Jesus, and God for forgiveness by the time he was through with Severus.

However, the last thing Severus was going to do was take the blame for something _he didn't do_. Even if it meant he'd get the lesser of two punishments. As his father would say, Severus wasn't raised to be a thief. He wasn't going to have that descriptor attached to him in addition to the ones he already held (troublemaker, nuisance, sneak). He turned a hateful glare on Professor McGonagall and said, "I didn't steal from him."

She sighed as if he pained her. "Mister Snape–"

Footsteps sounded behind Severus (but something about them sounded _wrong –_ almost as if an extra pair of feet were stepping in time with the men) and Professor McGonagall ripped her gaze away from Severus to the returning Headmaster and Professor Slughorn. "We found it," his head of house declared, voice resigned. "It was in his trunk."

Severus's face heated up with anger as astonishment left him speechless. They'd searched his _trunk_! They had no right! How had the damn thing ended up there anyway? Who in Merlin's name got past the spells he put on his trunk after the _last_ incident where his dormmates were messing with his things?

Of course, none of them saw his crimson face for what it was. Instead, Professor McGonagall looked at him with a stern face and pity lurking in her eyes. Severus barely held back the urge to snarl. She thought he was ashamed he'd been caught! "It's not too late to tell us the truth, Mister Snape," she told him.

"I don't know why it was in my trunk!" he spat, "I didn't steal it!"

Rebuke in his tone, Professor Slughorn asked, "Then how did the Deluminator turn up in your trunk, young man?"

Severus couldn't hold in his disdain any longer. "Perhaps when of my arsehole roommates put it there. It wouldn't be the first time they went through my trunk and left me 'surprises'." He stares contemptuously at his head of house. "As you very well know, _sir_."

The portly man frowned. "If I recall, they told me the slugs they left in your trunk were to pay you back for hexing Miss Pucey when her back was turned. As I told you before, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

" _They started it_!" Severus shouted. He was still furious about that incident. Professor Slughorn had given him detention while Wilkes and Rosier got away with only a few stern words as they'd been acting in "defense" of Pucey. Like it changed that they and Pucey had begun it all when they insulted his mother.

"Mr. Snape," Headmaster Dumbledore scolded.

Scowling at all of them, he crossed his arms and sneered. What was there left for him to say when they refused to listen?

Quietly, the headmaster asked, "You understand this is a very serious offense, don't you, Mister Snape?"

For a moment, he only glared. Then, grudgingly nodded. Severus bloody understood alright. He was going to be punished ( _again_ ) for something he didn't do.

The old man sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses in frustration. "Minerva, Horace, if you would step out for a moment? I would like to speak to Mr. Snape alone," Headmaster Dumbledore declared.

"Of course," Professor Slughorn agreed as Professor McGonagall dipped her chin in tandem.

Severus kept his gaze solely on the headmaster as the professors filed out. When he heard the door close behind them, Severus couldn't help but look away from Headmaster Dumbledore to glance around the room. He could see they were alone, but it certainly didn't _feel_ as if they were.

"Mr. Snape?"

He returned his gaze to the old man with no small amount of reluctance.

Headmaster Dumbledore frowned at Severus for a moment, before looking around the room himself. He seemed to notice something Severus did not, as his eyes widened ever so slightly. If Severus wasn't so used to looking for small changes in the faces of others for ill-intentions he may not have noticed at all. Confusion began to muddle his mind, he shifted uneasily from foot to foot. "Sir?" he called uncertainly.

The old man looked at Severus as if he'd forgotten he was there.

Severus almost wanted to roll his eyes at that. _Of course_ the headmaster would forget him while he was the only other one in the room. But, then, the man's gaze locked on his own and he felt terribly exposed. Severus couldn't be sure, but he suspected the headmaster was using legilimency on him. It was a very subtle feeling, but not unfamiliar. His mother had been using it on him for years to catch him in a lie, after all. She promised she would start teaching Severus this summer how to use it himself.

"You are dismissed," Headmaster Dumbledore declared.

Severus couldn't stop the gobsmacked expression that overtook his face. "Sir?"

He repeated, "You are dismissed, Mr. Snape."

"I'm not in trouble anymore?"

The old man sighed. "No."

Severus didn't thank the old man, because it was his own damn fault for believing Jennifer Brown when she said she saw Severus sneaking out of his office early this morning while Headmaster Dumbledore was at the Great Hall during breakfast. Instead, he just turned around and hurried out in case the man decided to change his mind.

As the door swung closed behind Severus, however, he just barely heard the headmaster say:

"If you would take off that cloak, Misters–"

'An _Invisibility Cloak!_ ' Severus realized suddenly. Someone (or, rather, someones) had been in the room under an Invisibility Cloak with them. There was no way for him to know for certain quite yet, but Severus was sure it was the Marauders, or at least Black and Potter, who'd been beneath it. He bet they had planted the Deluminator in his trunk too. Maybe even convinced Brown to lie for them as well (if they hadn't used a Polyjuice Potion). They'd also gotten past all of the spells he put on his trunk!

Angrily, Severus clenched his hands into fists and stormed off toward his dorm. He was sure he'd have to reorganize his trunk since the Headmaster and Professor Slughorn searched it, but he was also going to have to figure out a new combination of spells to keep the Marauders out of his trunk too.

Bitterly, Severus's final thought on the matter was, 'I bet _they_ won't get in trouble for framing me with theft either.'

* * *

 **I hope you liked this Kiger-Neko! I think your story is one of the few that really sticks close to the prompt you gave me (sorry to everyone whose prompts I took some liberties with).**

 **Thank you for reading everyone!**


	2. Grasp the Nettle

_Grasp the Nettle_

 **Warning : set in the near future of TDKWWS.**

* * *

Redhood01: Lily sees the memory of Severus dying in the Pensieve. Flinches every time she sees the snake strikes his neck. She then proceeds to hug the heck out of him during a meeting at the park. It happens during the summer after their school year with the boggart and Demitri as Hogwarts's defense professor. So it's in the Rubble Flowers universe.

-o-O-o-

"Did you get lost?"

Lily jolts as if electrocuted. She turns around to see Sage standing in the doorway of Severus's room. She does her best not to look guilty under the teenager's flinty gaze. Fiddling with her hair sheepishly, she admits, "I got a bit distracted." Her eyes slide back to the Pensieve sitting on Severus's desk. Her stomach rolls as she recalls what she saw. Musingly, she remarks, "I've never seen a Pensieve in person before."

The boy frowns as if he knows. Severus would have told her if he is teaching him legilimency, though, wouldn't he? ('Maybe not,' a small voice in the back of her mind whispers. 'He never told you the full truth about _this_.') "Uh-huh," Sage replies. Then, with a bossy tone, he tells her, "You shouldn't get too close. Severus says he has the real and fake memory of his mother finding his father's body in there; neither is pleasant according to him."

She takes a large step away from the Pensieve to humor him. Pretending as if she believes Sage, and doesn't know the truth, she asks, "Doesn't he worry about his mother coming across it? Keeping it out on his desk in the open like this…"

Sage shakes his head. "It's usually not," he replies. Confusion furrowing his brows, he mutters, "I don't know why he has it out here now."

Lily reckons she could hazard a guess, but she's not going to share it with the teen in front of her. Reaching down onto the desk chair where she put the book she'd offered to grab for Severus after she went to the loo, she picks it up and holds it out for Sage to see. "I guess as long as he doesn't usually leave it out." Then, cheerily, she says, "Anyway, here's that book Sev wanted! Shall we go?"

Expression still suspicious, Sage steps aside to let her pass him. "Yes, before Severus comes looking for us himself."

-o-O-o-

Lily wakes up hair and jimjams damp with sweat and her sheets twisted around her. Unbidden, her fingers go to her throat. She traces the hollows at the base of it and remembers the way Severus's throat became one giant, crimson hole after Nagini tore into it. She takes a stuttering breath as him falling to the ground to bleed out fills her mind's eye. _Merlin_. How could Severus even bear to look at Slytherin's crest after a death like that?

Stifling a sob with the palms of her hands, Lily begins an unspoken mantra in her mind. _He's fine, he's fine, he's fine, he'sfine, he'sfinehe'sfinehe'sfine–_

"Lily?"

She whips her head to the side to see Petunia. Her sister is propped on one elbow in her own bed, eyes drooping tiredly. "Yes?"

The teenager yawns into her shoulder before she asks, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Lily quickly assures her sister. "It was just a nightmare," she lies.

Petunia blinks a couple of times, concern forming a canyon between her brows. "Do you want to go to the kitchen for some milk and biscuits?"

She shakes her head. "No, thank you." Lily attempts to smile, even though it is the last thing she wants to do for multiple reasons. "You don't want to have dark circles under your eyes when you see James tomorrow on your… _date._ " It still feels so strange to say the word, even now, after the two have been dating for so long. Lily reckons she'll always feel a little uncomfortable about her sister and James. Her and James may have never dated _here_ , but Lily still remembers and feels at times like she's got to be careful with them so she doesn't step on any toes in their relationship.

"A bit of panstik will fix that problem right up tomorrow, you know."

She sighs and settles back down under her covers. "It wasn't that bad. I'm fine."

Petunia lays back down too. "You could have fooled me. After all, this is just the _third_ time you've woken me up with a nightmare in the past two nights."

Lily lifts her head and starts, "'Tuney…"

Her sister rolls onto her side, presenting Lily with her back.

Dropping her head back to her pillow in frustration, Lily crosses her arms over her chest and begins to count racing brooms until she falls asleep once more.

(Hopefully for the last time tonight too).

-o-O-o-

It takes the better part of a week and nights of uneasy sleep, but Lily finally figures out why it is the nightmares won't go away. It's because even during the day she can't forget. She feels so _guilty_. Guilty about looking at the memory in the first place (she had no right, yet she'd been so curious), guilty about how she never knew just how terrible Severus's death had been, guilty she _ever_ thought he might have been lying to her about dying for Harry.

The only way she can see overcoming her guilt is by apologizing. Lily hates that she will have to tell Severus she violated his trust so profoundly, but she wants to be able to sleep through the night again. Lily also wants to convey to him just how sorry she is about not only betraying him, but about the way he died. Putting all her Gryffindor courage to work, Lily writes a letter to Severus.

 _Dear Severus,_

 _I know you might be busy, but I would very much like to meet up with you as soon as possible…_

-O-

A day after sending her letter to Severus, Lily awaits his arrival in the park they used to spend so much time in as real children and while they were eleven again waiting for their first year at Hogwarts to start. Swaying on a swing, Lily contemplates the best way to start the conversation with Severus about what she did.

" _Severus, you know how when I was visiting you at your house and I went to get that book from your room?_ "

" _I have to tell you about something I did when I visited you last._ "

 _"I saw your memory of your death._ "

She frowns and kicks harshly at the ground in front of her. However gently (or not gently) she starts this won't change anything in the end. Severus is going to be upset no matter what she says. Rightfully so. Lily sighs. Tossing back her head, she presses the heels of her hands to her eyes and does her best not to cry. Why did she have to do something so daft? She _knows_ just how private Severus is. Perhaps better than most, even. Lily hopes he doesn't hate her for what she did…

"Lily, are you alright?"

She almost tumbles right out of the swing. It's only Severus's strong grip on her knee that stops her from falling backward and to the dirt ground beneath her. When she's steady again, the swing's chains in a death-grip, she says, "Thanks. I'm fine."

Severus scoffs. Lily doesn't blame him for not believing her. She pushes aside all her previously thought of openers to the coming conversation and tells Severus, "I love you."

His lip quirks with a bemused smile. She wonders if he thinks this is going to lead to some sort of romantic surprise date or snogging session. If only. "And I you."

Hunching in on herself, Lily whispers, "But even though I do, it didn't stop me."

"Lily–"

She puts up her hand. "Let me finish. This is important."

Severus's expression turns to unease, but he listens to her and keeps his mouth still.

"I love you and I should have known better, but I still did it. I guess I didn't think whatever you had in there would be _that_ bad…"

He's paling rapidly as if he knows exactly what she's saying. Severus probably does. He's so clever. Far too clever, even. His years as a spy appear to have turned his already sharp mind into an arrow tip capable of piercing right through vaguity and roundaboutness to the actual issue in as few words as possible. Yet, despite what he knows, he stays quiet.

"But it was. It was so terrible and–" Lily stops short, tears burning in the corners of her eyes.

Quietly, dangerously, Severus hisses, "You had no right."

She hangs her head guiltily. "I know."

Severus doesn't say anything for a moment, though, out of the corner of her eye Lily can see him fidgeting with his wand. Finally, he asks, "Why?"

"It's stupid," admits Lily, "I wasn't thinking. I saw and I was curious and– It's like I said. Stupid."

There's a pause between them. Severus takes a seat on the swing beside her. "If you weren't you," he says, "And there was no one I would have to explain myself to, I'd obliviate a lot more than just the memory from your head right now."

Lily nods, her heart beating at a rapid tempo against her ribs. She believes him. Severus has more than proven to her over the years he's an expert at such things. "For what it's worth, I _am_ sorry." She looks at him out of the corner of her eye. "And not just for looking at the memory."

He clears his throat and mutters, "It's fine."

"It's not, though," insists Lily. "You don't have to pretend it is."

Severus doesn't say anything. Lily tries to read his face, see if there is a tell she can read there to get a sense of his true feelings, but its blank. Dead, even. He has shut her out. She starts to drum her fingers along her knees. Perhaps Severus hasn't retreated too far into himself yet. Lily knows of one way to find out for certain.

She gets to her feet and opens her arms to him. "You don't have to say yes, but can I hug you?"

His expression flickers and then settles back into its mask of impassivity. Lily starts to let her arms fall, reading Severus's reaction as a no. However, he surprised her seconds later when he raises his arms and holds them out to her. Without hesitation, Lily dives in and grabs onto Severus as tight as she can. After a moment, he returns the embrace. Where she hugs hard, he hugs softly. It's a common theme with them, Lily realizes. She thinks of Severus as this strong, indestructible knight while he sees her as this fragile princess in need of protection.

That's going to have to change.

For now, though, she just wants Severus to know she's sorry and she's got _him_ for once.

* * *

 **I took a couple liberties with your prompt, but I think it turned out alright! No Redhood01?**

 **Thank you a million for reading!**

 **12/26/17**


	3. The Becoming

_The Becoming_

* * *

ThePhoenixandtheDragon: I would love a teenage Severus leaves Hogwarts and Wizarding Britain after the end of his fifth year and finds happiness and acceptance at another magical school where he escapes the War, Voldemort, and Dumbledore.

-o-O-o-

Even years after the fact he would be unable to pinpoint what exactly had been the last straw, but something about his fifth year at Hogwarts had finally pushed Severus over the edge. After arriving at Spinner's End from King's Cross with his mother, the first thing Severus said to her upon passing the threshold of their home was, "I hate school. I don't want to go back to Hogwarts next year."

She looked at him, her eyes impassive. "Alright," she replied after a moment.

He blinked. "Alright?" Severus repeated, bewildered. He wasn't quite sure if he had understood his mother, or if his mother had understood him.

His mother nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised," she said. "I didn't much care for Hogwarts either." With a slight smile on her lips, she reached over and gave Severus's cheek an affectionate pat. "I'll start looking into having you transferred to one of the schools on the continent."

Absolutely stunned, all he could do was gape at his mother. All the stories she'd told him as a boy made him think she adored it. Why had she lied? Why had she not prepared him for the cruelties he would face there instead? "Why did you never say you hated it before? he asked.

"I didn't see sense in scaring you. Just because I had a poor experience there didn't mean you would as well," she explained. His mother frowned sadly. "I see now I should have prepared you for the worst. I'm sorry, Severus."

"It's okay," he finally managed to mumble, embarrassed. "I'm just thankful you aren't going to make me go back."

She only shrugged off the praise. "Unlike some, I can learn from the past. Perhaps if my father had listened to me when I said I didn't enjoy Hogwarts, I wouldn't have run away during Christmas holidays of my seventh-year and met your father." Her face aged significantly. "Perhaps we would all be happier."

Severus's face burned as he dropped his gaze to his scuffed-up and worn penny loafers. He knew he was the reason why his mother was stuck here. If she'd never gotten pregnant with him, she wouldn't have married Dad.

"Chin up, boy," his mother murmured, giving it a tap with a bruised finger. "We may not all be getting a happy ending, but you just might if you play your cards right."

He nodded. "Yes, Mother."

-o-O-o-

The boys he roomed with at Durmstrang were different.

There was Otis Weber from Germany, who sometimes reminded him of William Wilkes. Both were big, physical, and imposing, but where Wilkes used his stature to intimidate the others in and out of Slytherin, Otis was a confident, persuasive presence in any room who still came off as a relatable everyman with the easy affection he bestowed upon friends and acquaintances alike. He never "joked" about Severus's second-hand robes, nor threw "playful" punches at him when he got upset - everything about Otis was affable and honest. Then there was Sven Larsson from Sweden, who was bookish and towering like the Ravenclaw Dirk Cresswell, but he was far more willing to share his knowledge with others instead of lording it over them as proof of his intellectual superiority.

Finally, there were the Polish twins, Borys and Elbert Dulski, two cocky half-bloods who remained on Durmstrang's Quidditch team in spite of their cheeky natures. It was agreed upon by Durmstrangs' students if they weren't the best chasers Durmstrang had seen in almost twenty years they would have been kicked off years ago. While their brash arrogance often raised the ire of both students and teachers alike, and Severus was often reminded of Potter and Black when the twins were at their worst, where Potter and Black had expressed their vanity and prowess in dueling by accosting random victims in the halls of Hogwarts, the same could not be said about Dulski twins. Their threats against other students did not come unprovoked, as they were more often than not defending the honor of their Squib mother and Muggle father from any students who had something snide to say about them.

For the first time, Severus could freely admit he genuinely liked and got along well with his dormmates and, surprisingly, the feeling was mutual. They were impressed with his skills in potions and downright awed by the spells he created. Sven especially so. He was constantly questioning Severus about his spell-crafting process. At first, his enthusiasm made Severus very uneasy. At Hogwarts, fellow students interest in his creations had not been due to simple curiosity, but to bully him into making spells for them or to find out if there was anything worth stealing. When Severus finally gathered the courage to let Sven in on some of his spell-crafting secrets the other boy was eager to share his own collection of half-finished incantations and asked for his help without a hint of guile.

Once he started doing just that, it got out to Sven's mates and they made a little club of it. Every Wednesday afternoon just before lunch a few of them met in one of Durmstrang's smaller study halls and spent about an hour going through spells, improving them, testing them on one another and, occasionally, a house-elf if the spell's intention was to cause physical alterations. As should have been expected, their club began to swell in members after a few weeks. Once that happened, it didn't take long at all for the professors to catch wind.

Much to Severus's surprise, they did not shut down the unsanctioned club; instead, they praised Severus and Sven for starting it. The professors called their club innovative and made Severus and Sven into role models for Durmstrangs' students. Once, Severus even overhead his defense professor say to the Deputy Headmaster that he couldn't believe Hogwarts had let a clever boy like him transfer to Durmstrang so easily. It'd left Severus feeling as if someone had cast a cheering charm on him when he wasn't looking.

At Hogwarts, Severus had viewed his professors as either enemies or annoyances. But at Durmstrang? He was starting to think of them as mentors. Especially his charms Professor, Kafka. She'd promised to give him extra credit in her class if he could create a barrier spell to put around valuables that did something particularly interesting to those who tried to steal said valuables. Currently, Severus was in the middle of trying to figure out how to make the "thief" that his charm etched across the would-be robber's forehead permanent.

Two weeks before Christmas holidays, Severus was stopped on his way to spell-crafting club by an upper-year by the name of Gígí Bryndísdóttir. He'd talked to her a few times before. Severus had found her suggestions for improving his Langlock spell to be very insightful. She also had very pretty eyes. They were a blue that turned almost purple in the right light. Shyly looking at his chin, she asked, "I was wondering if maybe you would like to go on a sleigh ride with me around the village next weekend during the school's visit?"

He was shocked. When he was at Hogwarts, no girl had ever shown anything other than a platonic interest in Severus, and the only girl he'd felt remotely romantic toward was Lily. Severus resisted the urge to physically wince at the thought of his ex-best friend and crush. The last thing he wanted was to give Gígí the wrong impression. Severus was not over Lily, and probably shouldn't agree to a date, but maybe… Maybe even if it didn't go well, he could make a mate out of Gígí? Severus did like the sound of that.

He'd heard good things about her family. Namely, that they were a clever, prosperous sort. Her father was a well-respected expert on trolls and called in for consultation often when their tribes encroached too close to wizard or Muggle settlements. Her uncle also owned and ran a popular apothecary. Severus wouldn't mind her saying nice things to her uncle about him. Maybe his name would stick in the man's mind and Severus could apply to work for him after he graduated from Durmstrang.

Remembering he needed to answer Gígí, he gave a tiny shake of his head and refocused on her. Right on time too, the hopefulness on her face looked like it was starting to flag. "A-Alright. That'd be wicked," he stammered.

"Really?" she gasped.

Face hot, he nodded. "Yes."

She grinned brilliantly. "Are you headed to spell-crafting club as well?"

"Yes, right now," he agreed.

Falling into step beside him, Gígí, asked conversationally, "You're pretty good at potions too, aren't you?"

"I am," Severus answered, not entirely sure where the upper year was going with the question.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, lips turning upward with a smile. "You may already know, but my uncle has a small apothecary. He's looking for help over the summer."

He could hardly believe his luck. They hardly knew each other! Yet already she was willing to not only put in a good word for him with her uncle, but persuade the man to let Severus work for him over the summer? Eager as he was to jump on the implied offer, Severus knew he couldn't unless certain practicalities were worked out first. "Would this offer include room and board?" he asked. "Travelling to Iceland from England daily would be highly impractical."

She nodded. "Since my brother moved out, we have an extra room. You could stay with us. We only live a town away from my uncle Finnur."

"I'll think about it," he said, "and talk to my mum. She'd have to agree first."

Gígí's eyes lit up with delight. " _Dásamlegt_!" she cried.

Severus didn't know what that word meant, but it was said with such a positive tone he could only grin.

-o-O-o-

Exactly two weeks and a day later, Severus pleaded, "May I, Mum? It'd be a good experience."

His mother looked at him over her chipped teacup with an inscrutable expression. "Is Gígí using birth control?"

"Mum!" Severus groaned, mortified and disgusted.

She frowned. "Don't be so prude," she chided. "It's a fair question. Accidental pregnancies are not always a happy surprise."

His face burned. He knew she was talking about their family. And, in turn, about Severus. He'd been the not-so-happy surprise, after all. Of course, if Severus tried to tell her how he felt about her talking about him like, she would insist she was only speaking "in general" and he should stop being so sensitive. Ignoring the burning in his chest, Severus focused on instead that his mother was opening the door to his cage. He was going to be able to fly away. Be free.

He just had to assure her what she was fretting about wasn't a problem.

Quietly, Severus muttered, "I know how to use protection, so there's no reason to worry."

Mum settled back in her chair. "Alright. You can go if you kids can arrange it."

"Really?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes, really!" his mother sniffed. "It'll do you good. I've visited Diagon Alley and Knockturn a time or two since you left, I can't say I'm impressed by what I've seen. I'd rather have you away from it."

Severus fiddled with the spoon in his tea. "You're talking about the Death Eaters, right?"

She stiffened, eyes narrowing. "How do you know about them?"

He shrugged. "Some students at Hogwarts had parents who were involved in the cause. They were planning to become a part of it too. There's talk of it at Durmstrang too, though, much less."

She stood up and started to jab her finger in his face. "You keep your nose out of that business, Severus Tobias Snape! They look down on you for your blood and if they come to recruit you, it will only be to use you and then throw you away when you are no longer useful to them," she lectured, impassioned.

Severus stared at his mother. He wondered what she would think if she knew he'd actually been considering joining them when he was at Hogwarts (and even a little while he was at Durmstrang). However, there was no way he'd say anything about that now. She might close the door to his cage and throw away the key. Putting on the role of the dutiful son, he agreed with a simple, "Yes, Mother."

-O-

A couple of years after graduating from Durmstrang, Severus was relaxing in the back room of Finnur's apothecary on break. While waiting for his girlfriend to arrive so they could go to lunch, he perused the stack of Daily Prophets his mother sent him. Usually, he just skimmed them. They were currently full of morbidities surrounding war and it was wearing to constantly inundate himself with the misfortunes of people he usually didn't know. Flipping a page in the newspaper in his grasp, a bolded title caught his eye:

 **McKinnon Family Slain During the Night**

He remembered Marlene McKinnon. She'd been a year ahead of Severus and good mates with Lily. She'd taken on something of a mentoring role with his ex-friend. Idly, he wondered how Lily had taken the news. He didn't know if they had still been close when Marlene and her family died, but the chances were fairly high. Unless Marlene had done something as unforgivable as calling Lily a Mudblood.

Severus sneered at the thought. What a child he'd been. Reckless and angry and striking out at everyone and anyone. Sometimes, he had to wonder what his last couple of years at Hogwarts would have been like if he remained there. Severus was rather confident he would have joined the Death Eaters. He'd been in a terrible place mentally and after being abandoned by Lily on top of years of the Marauders' terrorizing him in the corridors and his housemates in his dorms, he would have been easily pulled into the group if they'd given him so much as a scrap of respect and praise.

He would have never thought he'd reach the day, but Severus did not blame Lily for giving up on him. He'd been no good destined for even worse. Severus would have gotten her killed. She could have tried and tried to support him and raise him up, but she had been a girl herself. That was too much to expect of her to do – all alone too. No one else worth a Knut had cared about Severus.

Partly Severus blamed that on the professors. They may have played favorites among the students a little more covertly, but the same could not be said for house favoritism. They'd never much bothered to hide they liked their own alma mater more than any other. With two of the most powerful professors at Hogwarts being Gryffindors, he'd always felt as if he was being unequally treated and punished when he got into tiffs with the Marauders.

Even now, Severus can recall just how relieved he had been when he came to Durmstrang and found that they had no houses. It had settled his fears he'd be the victim of house-favoritism once again almost immediately.

"Severus!" Gígí's uncle called, breaking him out of his brooding thoughts. "Your girlfriend's here to see you!"

Folding the newspaper back up, Severus set it on the back room's table and stood with a smile on his face. All his previous musing forgotten for the time being. Gígí might be his girlfriend right now, but she was going to be much more after their anniversary lunch today.

* * *

 **I didn't use every bit of your prompt, ThePhoenixandtheDragon, but I think I it's in essence what you wanted for this fic.**

 **Also, a special thank you to Coraluna for her help with this fic :) She made it ten times better with all her suggestions and edits!**

 **Translations :**

 **Dásamlegt - Wonderful**

 **Thank you all very much for reading!**


	4. Cultivating Roses and Daisies

_Cultivating Roses and Daisies_

 **Warning : contains minor spoilers for TDKWWS and _Cross-Pollination_.**

* * *

Coraluna: It'd be interesting to explore Rubble Flower's Petunia and how she's changed. She sent the Potters' an ugly vase for Christmas in the books before they died. I wonder what TDKWWS!Petunia would think of the totally normal, innocuous, yet slightly ugly vase she encounters in the department store one day, especially with her very much not normal, or innocuous, or ugly boyfriend James Potter on her mind that holiday season?

-o-O-o-

" _Go on! Find Lily and her fiancé their Christmas gifts," James encourages as he hands Petunia her purse. "And something nice for yourself." Then, with the same hand that he used to give her her purse, Petunia's husband lifts the tiny arm of their infant son and waves it back and forth. "Say bye-bye to Mummy, Henry!"_

 _The seven-month-old only drools in response._

 _Petunia twists the strap of her purse between her hands. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asks, "you don't watch him very often all on your own."_

 _"We'll be fine!" James reassures. Grinning, he gives their son's nose a tweak, which earns him a smile from Henry, and tells her, "We're finally going to have some father and son quality time."_

 _Seeing that she has no winning argument, Petunia sighs in defeat. Leaning in, she places a kiss on each of her boys' cheeks and promises, "I'll only be gone a couple of hours."_

What a ninny she'd been. A couple of hours. What in God's name had Petunia been thinking? Christmas shopping is a nightmare because of the crowds alone. Add in not even having the faintest idea of what to buy your magical little sister and you've got Hell. Her and Lily's tastes rarely align when it comes to anything. Especially when it comes to fashion. Where Lily finds shoulder pads mannish, Petunia finds them empowering. A sweater tied around the neck looks refined to her, but to Lily, downright silly. In turn, Petunia finds all of the sweeping skirts Lily adores old-fashioned and the color-combos of her clothes (who pairs chartreuse with _pink_? Witches and wizards, apparently) downright horrifying.

Petunia sighs and puts down the blouse she'd been considering for Lily. Chances are her sister won't like it – unlike the bow tie she picked up for her fiancé. The man's obsession with the neckwear is baffling to Petunia, but at least it makes him easy to shop for. Looking around the department store, Petunia spies the household goods section and makes a beeline towards it. Perhaps she can find Lily some nice placemats.

She does a casual round through the aisles looking for said placemats. Just as Petunia feels she's getting near the aisle with them, she almost bumps into an askew display table holding several vases at the end of the row she's in after she gets distracted looking at a serving spoon for herself. She leaps forward when one begins to wobble dangerously close to the table's edge. Grabbing it before it can fall off, Petunia lifts it in the air and lets go of the breath she is holding.

Her line of vision now filled with the vase, Petunia can't help but inspect it closely. It's a squat, white ceramic relief vase decorated with cherubs. Her lips curl back in distaste. Petunia can't help but think it's something a dowdy grandmother would display in her home. All in all, very ugly.

For a moment, she almost considers it for Lily. As a joke, of course. They've come quite a way since she was a jealous young girl who wanted to hurt her sister for nothing more than being a witch. Even so… Petunia puts the vase back on the display table. Sometimes, Lily still looks at her as if she's second-guessing Petunia's intentions. As if she doesn't quite believe Petunia really loves her and wants to spend time with her. Her little sister has given her less of those looks as of late – especially after she asked for Lily to be with her in the delivery room when she had Henry – but it's best she does not tip the boat.

Lily has plans to get married next fall and wants Petunia to be her Matron of Honor. The last thing Petunia wishes to do is upset her little sister and make Lily drop her from the wedding. Not only would it hurt, it'd be highly embarrassing. What would she tell James? He'd discouraged Petunia years ago out of saying catty remarks to her sister when she was feeling poorly about herself. He likes Lily (maybe too much, Petunia worries sometimes. But then she looks at the ring on _her_ finger, the baby with _his_ hair and _her_ smile and Petunia feels better. James is tied to her through both marriage and a child). She could lie, but it'd be futile in the end.

James's best mate is Sirius, who's good friends with Severus, who's _Lily's_ best mate. The truth would find James by word of mouth eventually. And when he found out, it would, without a doubt, strain their marriage. James puts great importance in honesty with one another and would feel deeply betrayed should he learn the truth in such a hypothetical scenario.

Yes, buying Lily the vase in the name of a laugh would cause far more stress than merriment. Ripping her gaze away from the ugly thing, Petunia walks away from it, trying to recall what it is she had been looking for in the first place for her little sister. A gravy boat? No, that isn't it. Perhaps if she continues browsing the household goods section she'll remember…

* * *

 **James was a bit more than a boyfriend here, but close enough, no? I hope you enjoyed this Coraluna. You were great help with this collection :)**

 **And to everyone else, thank you so much for reading!**


	5. Life's Tide

_Life's Tide_

* * *

BlueWater5: Peter Pettigrew is usually presented as a coward and a weak person. However, he was sorted into Gryffindor. I doubt he was the only non-Slytherin Death Eater. How did he let Voldemort know he was willing to betray the Potters - how did he connect with the Death Eaters to the point where he met Voldemort? What were his thoughts as he was deciding to betray the Potters? Had he been a Death Eater before that or did he decide to become one only after he became the Potter secret-keeper? How did he justify his actions as a brave Gryffindor?

-o-O-o-

Peter had never really imagined himself working for the Ministry Press while he was at Hogwarts. Then again he'd never given much thought at all to life after school. He'd always been a person who spent his life living it day by day. Sure, he had the same far-off thoughts all lads had – like he wouldn't mind visiting a distant, foreign land like Australia or America, or that a wife and a couple of kids might be nice one day. Otherwise, he'd been rather content to let the current of life take him where it may.

Which was exactly how he'd ended up in the Ministry Press working alongside Barty Crouch Jr. on pamphlets about the importance of using a Bubble-Head charm when you go to St. Mungo's with anything you think could be contagious. He sighed loudly when he saw Crouch once again misspell "diseases" on one of the several different draft pamphlets they were putting together for their boss to choose from for mass publication.

"Get out of the way," he snapped, nudging his coworker out of his seat and taking over on the typewriter. "You'd think after seven years at Hogwarts you'd know how to spell something as common as 'disease'!"

'Or that this place would be a bit more picky about who it hires,' he thinks in disgruntlement to himself.

"You'd think," agreed Crouch with that mocking tone he always used with Peter. As he often did when his coworker got snotty with him, Peter imagined himself someplace else. A summer house in Spain (as if he was ever going to be able to afford one of those) or on a date somewhere fancy with their boss's fit secretary (like she'd ever look at him that way).

Irritated, he grumbled, "I guess it's true Hufflepuff is just a house of twits."

"Yeah? Well, _this_ twit has his whole future all in hand. Can you say the same?" Crouch demanded, circling around to the front of the desk like a stalking nundu to slap his hands down on either side of the typewriter.

Peter shifted uneasily in his seat. "O-Of course you do," he said, voice quavering every so slightly, not looking at Crouch. "Your father is head of Magical Law Enforcement. I'm sure he's got a lot of favors to use."

The younger man's hands balled into fists so fiercely all blood ran out leaving his knuckles so white the freckles on them stood out like a splattering of blood in the office's light. "My father has had _nothing_ to do with who I've become! I made myself!"

Slowly, cautiously, Peter raised his gaze to meet Crouch's. "And how did you do that?" he asked, hoping it would take away the mad edge he saw in the other's eyes.

Crouch smirked. "Curious now, are you?" he taunted. "If you _must_ know, Pettigrew, unlike you, I made friends with the right kind of mates."

Peter frowned. "You're talking about Regulus Black, aren't you?"

"Evan Rosier and Imogen MacDougal too."

Peter nodded. "Bully for you."

Giving him a sly look, Crouch offered, "You know, Pettigrew, I wouldn't be against helping _you_ get your life in hand too."

He eyed his coworker warily. Peter knew whatever Crouch was offering would cost him more than it paid out, yet… He wanted more than what he had now. Peter wanted a job that was better than this – maybe even one with coworkers he'd like. A house to holiday at wouldn't be remiss, whether it be in Hong Kong or America or bloody Romania for all he cared. As long as it'd get him far away from here and away from Crouch and his shitty attitude. He harbored no illusions about what Crouch and his mates were a part of, but perhaps if he was careful enough, he could get something brilliant out of it without getting himself killed.

For all of Crouch's mental failings, he did know how to attach himself to people who were going places. If his coworker's clever mates thought there was something worthwhile about being a part of such a social group maybe Peter should follow suit. What was life without a little risk? That was one of the most Gryffindorish rules to live by as far as Peter was concerned. There were lots of risks in life and, sometimes, you had to be brave enough to take one – be damned the consequences in the end.

Slowly, he started to nod, and pushed for an open, friendly smile that he never favored the bastard that was Barty Crouch Jr. with before. "If you really don't mind, I'd like to take you up on that offer."

"Aces!" Crouch exclaimed, pushing away from the desk. "Our Lord will be so pleased when he hears!"

He tried to hold up his smile for his now grinning coworker, but Peter wasn't sure how well he succeeded. Regret was starting to settle in his stomach like a rock. Peter didn't think Crouch's offer had been quite as spontaneous as it felt. Perhaps this was one of life's tides that he should have fought, rather than give into.

* * *

 **I didn't manage to answer all of your questions, but I did a few of them, BlueWater5. Personally, I imagine the deeper Peter got into the Death Eaters the more things spiraled out of his control that by the end all he cared about was making it out of the war alive.**

 **Special thanks to Coraluna for the excellent help she gave me with this fic to improve it!**

 **Thanks for reading, I appreciate it :)**


	6. Anastomosis

_Anastomosis_

 **Warning : contains minor spoilers for TDKWWS and _Cross-Pollination_.**

* * *

SunsetHill: I'd enjoy seeing why Lily or Severus finally told Francine about the other reality and shared the spell. What led up to that decision?

-o-O-o-

 _To my daughters,_

 _Francine, my fearless, bruise-knuckled girl, and Ivy, my lamb-hearted beauty, if you are reading this letter it means I've passed away. I feel before anything else, I should apologize. I am not who you think I am. Or, at least, I am more than who you think I am. Everything you know about me now is true. I am a Muggle-born. A Gryffindor. Healer. War Veteran. Order member. Wife. Sister. Your mother. But, once, in another life, I was someone else's mother - your brother, Harry Potter._

 _You might be wondering now if I hadn't gone mental when I wrote this letter, but I have not. I have lived before. I lived in a world not all that different from our own. Your Uncle Sev and I have over the years begun to think of it as an alternate reality._ _That, however, is not what I wish to use this letter to talk about with you girls._

 _I want to tell you about Harry. In the first universe I came from, instead of your daddy, I married Uncle James. While my history with that James matters deeply to me, I doubt you girls will be interested in hearing about how I fell in love, married, and started a family with a man that is not only not your father, but your uncle as well in this life._

 _With that said, what I want you to know about Harry is what I know about him. He was born late in the evening on July 31, 1980, and James was the first to hold him after the midwife. Harry looked like baby pictures come alive of his father in all ways except one: he had my eyes. Your brother was an easy-going baby (especially once he stopped keeping us up all night with his colic); he liked to chew on my hair, thought peek-a-boo was the most hilarious game ever, and his first word was a babified version of his godfather's name, "Riris". Which he loved to shout several times in a row whenever the man paid us a visit. Harry was quite a normal baby by all accounts. However, that all changed when it came to light he was the child of prophecy. His story, my family's story, is not all that different than that of the Longbottoms._

 _A prophecy was said, someone overhead, and then they passed it along to Voldemort who decided it was my little boy the prophecy was talking about. As you can probably guess, my family went into hiding. We put our home under a Fidelius charm and made a friend of ours secret-keeper. Unfortunately, our mate was not as trustworthy as we thought. When Voldemort came for Harry, there was nowhere for my family to run. He killed James. Then, he came into Harry's nursery where I was with your brother._

 _To understand what happened next, you have to know this: I love Harry. Even now, with all of me._ _A mother never stops loving her child - even when death and universes separate them. Yet not any more than I love you girls, but it is important to know that I did._

 _It was my love that saved him and my love that killed me, after all._

 _Voldemort came into my baby's room and told me to step aside. I didn't. How could I? I'd have not been able to live with myself if I watched him kill my son. So, instead, I stared the bastard down as he sent a killing curse straight at my heart. What happens next is something I only know second-hand thanks to your Uncle Sev, but according to him, my love, my sacrifice, invoked an old, powerful magic that protected Harry from Voldemort's curse and caused it to rebound and kill him for the first time._

 _That is where my story with Harry ends. If he's alive, I'm sure Uncle Sev will be more than willing to answer any questions you have about Harry. If not, I've included several items in another envelope that will give you access to the Pensieve and the memories of your brother he once shared with me._

 _You may be wondering why I never told you while I was alive. I guess it's because I worried you'd begin to question how much I love you two and your father. Not one of you is a replacement for James or Harry. I love you all equally. If given the chance to have Harry and James back, I wouldn't take it. I've closed that chapter of my life and you are my now and future. That is another reason why I never spoke of them. They are my past. A very painful part of it, if I'm honest. To pick at that wound by telling you girls and having to answer all of your questions… It would have been too much. I still hurt on Harry's birthday, James and I's wedding anniversary. I know it's a selfish way to cope and I'm sorry, but leaving it compartmentalized in the back of my mind is how I'm able to survive and live every day._

 _Before I end this letter, I'd like to explain what else is in the envelope that came with it. In addition to instructions on how to access the Pensieve, there is a photo of Harry's children. When you two were little girls, Uncle Sev created a spell that took him back to the universe we originally came from. He ran into your brother there and Harry gave it to him to give to me. I want you two to now have it. Those are your nephews and niece and you deserve to know their faces. Along with the photo, I included the incantation and explanation of the spell your uncle used. You don't have to use it, but if you ever want to see where I and Uncle Sev came from, you can. Just be careful._

 _All my love,_

 _Mum_ _._

* * *

 **I hope this answered you question Sunsethill. Lily wanted her daughters to know about their brother.**

 **Also, shout out to Coraluna who helped me improve this letter fic!**

 **Thanks a million for reading :)**


	7. Hello Little Sister

_Hello Little Sister_

* * *

Sherlock Harry Winchester: I would love if you wrote fic on say, the Weasley boys and their baby sister, when she was born and they all realize they finally have a baby sister, or play Quidditch, or anything!

-o-O-o-

When Molly finally looked away from the perfect face of her new baby daughter, she saw several pairs of eyes peering through the slightly ajar door of her and Arthur's bedroom. Smiling, she twisted slightly to touch the arm of the midwife at her bedside table. The young lady looked at her, expression attentive and expectant.

"We've got some visitors, nurse."

Her brows furrowed slightly, then, smoothed when she glanced over her shoulder at where Molly was staring. "It seems we do," the midwife said in that small, warm voice of hers that had guided Molly helpfully through her daughter's labor. "Would you like them to come in?"

Molly nodded.

Putting on a big smile, the young lady went to the door and pulled it all the way open. "Hello duckies," she greeted. "Your mummy and the baby are tired, so you all need to be quiet as you're saying hello to your new little sister."

"Sister?" all the boys murmured with varying inflections. The twins and Charlie wore pouts, as they'd been hoping for yet another brother, but Percy smiled. He'd been after a sister since she announced she was pregnant with Ron. As for Bill, he was smiling too. He hadn't cared one way or another what the baby would be, just happy that there was going to be yet another sibling for him to love. And Ron… she grinned at the toddler who sat on his eldest brother's hip. Around the fingers he had in his mouth, he grinned back. Her baby boy was too little to want one or the other. She just hoped he didn't get jealous now that the baby was here.

Despite their feelings about the new addition's gender, all the boys filed over to her side of the bed. The twins and Percy pulled themselves up onto the mattress beside Molly. The midwife saying, "Careful, careful!" as George crawled over her legs to settle against her right side. Expression one of contentment, Percy leaned over his new sister and stroked her cheek with one hand. "What did you name her?"

"Dad and I picked Ginevra for a girl," she told the boys.

The sound of hurried footsteps outside the bedroom door made Molly glance up just in time to see the slightly wild face of her husband. She laughed. "Ginny came a bit faster than I was expecting," she said in a way of apology. Arthur'd been at her side for most of her children's births. The only other one he missed was Charlie. Not that Molly was upset with him for that. He had been across the country helping his brother, Bilius, move flats after a hard breakup with his first serious girlfriend.

"Ginny?" said Arthur, ignoring the rest of what Molly told him. He was smiling. "We've finally got our baby girl?"

She laughed. "We do!"

"She's very cute, Dad," Bill remarked sweetly. Molly knew that wasn't really true. Ginny was as red and wrinkly as all newborns were and only love made any of them think she was anything near adorable.

Arthur came over, placing either hand on his eldest sons' shoulders, he peered over them at Ginny. "She's beautiful."

Molly offered her daughter to her husband. "Want to hold her?"

Eyes lighting up with delight, he took her from Molly's hands and brought her close to his chest to cradle. Bouncing her slightly, he looked over all of their boys and asked, "Well? What do we think of our new sister?"

She watched them exchange a series of glances and looks. Then, as the spokesperson for them all, Bill answered, "We guess a baby sister will be fun."

Molly and Arthur met each other's gazes and dissolved into laughter. The boys _guessed_. Oh, they had no idea what was going to come for any of them.

* * *

 **It was a bit more of a family moment than a boys and Ginny moment, but, hey, still cute, right? I hope you think so too, Sherlock Harry Winchester.**

 **Thank you all for reading guys :)**


	8. A Garden Variety Day

_A Garden Variety Day_

 **Warning** **: Set within TDKWWS (midway through "Branching" if I am to be specific on timelines).**

* * *

FranticRealm: Getting a look at the Marauders' friendship and how it is now in TDKWWS.

-o-O-o-

Book of jinxes in hand, James grins delightedly at his mates as he comes into their dorm room. "Look what I found in the library!"

Remus looks up from reviewing Sirius's notes on his bed while Peter, in the middle of changing robes, turns around to face James. "What's that?" asks Remus.

"It's that jinxes book the Pettigrews were talking about last week! They said there are some really wicked ones in here. Like one that wraps someone's head in a pumpkin," babbles James excitedly.

Remus's eyes drift back to his notes. "Hmmm."

He pouts. Surely a book of funny spells should be more interesting than class notes! "Aw, come on, Remus. This could be a lot of fun! We can find some firsties to test the really wicked ones on for a laugh."

Remus reaches for his preferred Muggle pen and scratches out something on the parchment he's reviewing. "No thanks," he says. "I've got to catch up on Transfiguration. I missed class on Monday, you know."

James's shoulders slump. He does know. He always feels bad when he forgets too. It must be dreadful having to go home so often because your mum is so ill you are worried she is about to die. "Oh yeah. How is your mum by the way?"

Remus's hunches in on himself and mumbles, "Better than she was."

He nods. It's obvious Remus doesn't want to talk about it (he never has, either), so James turns his sights on Peter who's finished dressing and appears to be now looking for his wand. "What about you, Pete? Up for some mischief?"

"Got Gobstones," he calls out from under his bed. A moment later a muffled sound of victory resounds around the room and Peter reappears from underneath the bed, hair askew. He waves his wand happily and says, "I told you I'd find it in time!"

Remus picks up his Transfiguration book and cracks it open. "You haven't in the past," he mutters. "Maybe you should think about using a sticking charm to hold it in one place when you aren't using it."

"Maybe," Peter agrees. Though, Remus and James are both well aware that it's probably the last thing Peter will do. He has a bit of a lazy streak in him. The less wand-waving he has to do the happier he is the most of the time.

Feeling far less excited than he did only five minutes ago, James squints his eyes and looks around the rest of the dorm. "Where's Sirius?"

"With Severus and Lily, I reckon."

James puffs out his cheeks in annoyance. Honestly, what do Lily and Sirius see in that dreary know-it-all? However, he doesn't complain other than to grunt, "Ugh!" Neither Peter or Remus are sympathetic to his whinging about Snape. They, like Sirius, appear to admire the sour git.

Remus raises an eyebrow at him. "So what now? Are you going to experiment on your own?"

He shakes his head and walks over to his bed. "No. It's not half as fun pranking them when you do it _alone._ "

Remus sighs and buries his face a little deeper into the textbook he holds in his grip. "If you give me another twenty minutes to study we can go out and explore the castle for the map."

Bouncing up and down where he sits on his bed, James grins. "That'd be wicked, Remus! Thanks!"

Peter who's in the middle of tying his shoes, frowns at them in a sulky way. "I want to explore the castle too."

"We can stop by the Gobstones club toward the end to get you so we can all go exploring together," suggests James. A new vision for the day coming to him, he continues, "Then we can see if Sirius is in the library with Lily and Snape and if he wants to come with us. The four of us can go on an adventure together!"

"What if he's not there?"

James waves away the concern with a hand, he's determined that his plan will go exactly as he envisions it now. But if it doesn't, or _can't_ … "It'll be too bad," he replies. Then, seriously, James tells his mates. "And more proof we need the map done sooner rather than later so we can find each other easily in the future."

This is met with agreement from both Peter and Remus. They talk a few minute more about what part of the castle they want to explore today. They end up deciding on the dungeons – even if it's slimy Slytherin territory for the most part. There's bound to be something of interest down there that they've yet to see. Who knows, perhaps it's something even the _Slytherins_ don't know about.

As he goes, Peter insists they promise once more not to explore too much without him before he leaves for Gobstones club. When he's gone, James gets up from his bed (leaving the book of jinxes behind forgotten) and asks if Remus would like him to quiz him on stuff. Remus hands over the notes gladly and asks for him to start on the equations and work away from there.

Amicably, James does so.

* * *

 **I** **hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the Marauders life in the TDKWWS 'verse FanaticRealm. They get up to a lot less trouble than they do in canon thanks to activities and friendships outside of their little group pulling them apart on the regular.**

 **Thanks for reading :)**


	9. Seeds Sowed

_Seeds Sowed_

 **Warning : contains minor spoilers for TDKWWS and _Cross-Pollination_.**

* * *

Vbt22220: Could you write a one-shot where Severus comes back from work and sits down and just thinks about his life and how it's changed? And maybe it could be set after he visits the future in _Cross-Pollination_? It can be melancholic for him too.

-o-O-o-

A cup of tea going cold to his right, Severus stares down at the picture Lily's son gave him only a couple of hours before. There's no doubt his younger three are also half-Weasley. The girl, Lily, takes greatly after her grandmother, Molly. She's short and a bit on the thicker side, but not unattractively so. And the eldest boy has an impish look to him that brings back memories of when he'd catch the boy's uncles, George and Fred, plotting mischief. Only the middle one, Severus's namesake, takes profoundly after his father's side of the family rather than his mother's. He's got the same mess of black hair as his father and skinny build. His eyes are Lily's, though.

Severus traces the boy's face. Now that he sees Lily so often, he can tell the boy's smile is quite like her smile too. He thinks, perhaps, Harry's smile had been more like his mother's than his father's too. It's a shame he was too focused on how unlike the boy is to Lily when he was a professor at Hogwarts during his first lifetime to notice.

He puts his elbows on the tabletop and steeples his hands together. Now that he's a father to not one, but two sons, Severus can't help but regret that. He will be furious if any of Hogwarts staff judges his children because of his past-transgressions and hold them to unreasonable expectations because of what he was like as a student. It's really not funny, but he laughs all the same. The things parenthood teach you can be surprising and eye-opening.

Sometimes he thinks perhaps Hogwarts would be a better school if they hired more professors who have children. They'd know better than to judge children on their names and family members. No matter how much a child may look like their mother, or their father, or their brother, or their grandmother, and so on, that does not mean they are the same as them.

More than anything, he's ashamed it took him becoming a parent to learn such a lesson himself. It shouldn't have. He knows from his own school experiences what it's like to be judged. For being a Slytherin. For being a half-blood in Slytherin. For being a poor half-blood in Slytherin. For being a poor, _ugly_ half-blood in Slytherin. It should have been a lesson enough, yet…

He shakes his head. He used to be so blind. He let his anger, his grievances with others, and his own misery color his perceptions and ruin relationships that could have been truly enlightening before they even had a chance to bloom. There are days he wishes he could go back more than others to fix the things (people) he knows he must have left broken behind him. But he knows he can't. Their first life's reality is set in stone and done.

A soft knock sounds from the door of his potions laboratory, pulling him out of his musings. Severus looks up from the photo and calls out, "Come in." He isn't sure if it's his wife or son on the other side, but he's glad for the distraction.

The door opens and in pops his oldest, Lewis. "Mum says you're not brewing today, so it's okay I came down," he starts, already prepared in case Severus tries to shoo him out.

"It is indeed," he agrees instead, beckoning the boy over.

Lewis blinks as if he can't quite believe Severus is actually inviting him into the lab. Severus furrows his brows slightly. He knows he's strict about the boys staying out of his potions laboratory while he's working, but surely it shouldn't be such a shock that Severus is allowing him inside. Lewis has come in with his permission before… Hasn't he?

Severus tries to think of another time he invited Lewis in, but can't. He sighs. That would be his mistake, then. No wonder the boy looks like he's being tricked. Severus will have to change that; he doesn't want his son to grow up doubtful of his intentions or love. Perhaps a potions lesson or two every couple of weeks will remedy the situation. Yes, Severus decides, that's exactly what he shall do. It will also be good for Lewis now that he's getting older and Hogwarts isn't such a distant daydream anymore. He's likely to enjoy the lessons too. Lewis does so adore baking with his grandmother and the two activities are really not all that different in essence.

He gestures again for Lewis to come over. "It's alright, I promise."

Hesitantly, the boy walks over to his side. Once he's next to him, Severus pats his knee, inviting the boy to sit with him. Lewis scrambles up into his lap and settles in happily, all suspicion gone. Severus notes (as he always does) that Lewis is becoming heavier and soon he will begin to balk at invitations to sit on his knee. After a couple of minutes of pleasant silence where Lewis is too busy taking in the lab from his vantage point in Severus's lap to talk, he notices the picture of Harry's children.

"Who are they?" asks Lewis.

Severus picks up the picture and stares at it for a moment longer before tucking it away in his robe pocket. He'll need to remember to give it to Lily when he sees her for lunch tomorrow. She's going to cry when she sees it. She'd dithered for a while about joining him on his journey back to their original timeline before deciding she just couldn't out of fear Harry would be long dead there and little more than a memory. Or that she wouldn't want to come back once she saw him alive and well.

Now that's it over, he's just glad his and Harry's encounter didn't become a spectacle.

"Just a photo of some mates," he lies.

"The black-haired man looks like Uncle James."

He thins his lips. Severus doesn't think he'll ever quite get used to his sons thinking of James Potter as an uncle. "That he does," he allows.

Lewis squirms a little and looks up at Severus. "How come we've never met 'em?" Worry and sadness overcome his face. "Are they… dead?" he whispers.

"No, no," Severus assures. "These friends are just fine. They don't live here in England anymore, is all," he fibs, hoping that it will soothe Lewis before he can start crying. In the past year or so Lewis has become very aware of the missing people in their lives. How he's never met some of the people in old photos from before and during the war. He's not an overly sensitive child, but Severus thinks the fact Lewis's first father died during the war has made him acutely sympathetic to others who have also lost loved-ones during the war.

The boy sighs far too deeply for someone his size. "That's good."

Severus doesn't say anything more on it. This really isn't a topic he's ready to breach with his son. Instead, he asks Lewis how he likes the book Aunt Lily lent him last week. Lewis perks right up and begins to babble joyfully about how much he wants to ride a ship like the one in _Treasure Island._

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 **This is a bit more how _Severus_ has changed than his _life_ has changed. But I do think his interactions with his son go a long way to show how his life has changed. I know this is not really melancholic either, but then I think Severus would be more proud of what he's done and become than saddened by how things are.**

 **Thank you for reading :)**


	10. Where Flowers Bloom

_Where Flowers Bloom_

 **Warning** **:** **Set early during the Splitting segment of TDKWWS.**

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Gladoo89: A scene between Lily and Severus (or maybe Lily watching Severus interact with others) and Lily becoming aware again that he lived nearly 40 years changed/matured after Lily's death. It may be something in his everyday habits or a piece of wisdom he said that could only have been brought by age.

-o-O-o-

Lily remembers Severus best from before as a surly, brilliant boy that (if you dug very deep and looked very hard) had a good heart. Oh, she got glimpses after their friendship's end of what he'd become. She knew even in the scant amount of time she lived post-friendship he matured – even if it was in ways that made her ache for the ten-year-old she met in the park all those years ago. James suggested once that Severus had been lying when he said blood didn't matter to Lily when they were kids, but she knew he was wrong. Severus _had_ meant it. Once, he believed the things he taught Lily.

It seems he once again believes what he taught her. Or perhaps he never stopped believing? Lily wonders. She really should ask him some time (but not soon, the sticky, sick feeling in the back of her throat says).

Through an empty spot in one the library's bookshelves, Lily watches Severus demonstrate a charm for turning a quill into a worm for Regulus. It's such a strange sight – even after having witnessed similar ones at least a dozen times since the boy started at Hogwarts last year. Severus is so calm when he's explaining things. He always looks the most at ease when he's tutoring one of the boys. It's a tranquil sight to take in and often makes Lily think about how Severus was a professor in their last life.

Severus is adamant he hated being one and teaching classrooms full of sniveling, irksome brats. Maybe he really did too. Lily's never taught a class of children, but now that she's a twenty-something watching professors attempting to instruct a class-worth of sometimes less than enthused children she can see why Severus would dislike it. Professors have to split their attention between the material they are attempting to knock into the skulls of their students while keeping order in the classroom too. Somedays, it looks more difficult to do than others.

It must have been especially hard in a potions classroom where kids are not only allowed, but expected to use volatile substances to create functional potions.

Lily can't help but think, no matter how much he may have hated it, he learned a great deal. Severus is an excellent tutor when the lessons he's teaching are one-on-one or, sometimes, one-on-two. Lily wonders if her friend might consider having children in this lifetime. She's sure with a dad like Severus they'd be clever little things. Maybe they'd have his inventive streak as well and make something revolutionary for their world.

She can't help but smile at the thought. It's not one she's likely to share with Severus anytime soon, but, maybe, in the far future. When he finally has a girl that he wants to marry and wants to marry him. Abruptly, she's pulled from her daydreams when Scabior whisks past her shelf and towards Severus and Regulus. The first year plops into the seat next to the Black spare and drops his satchel down on the table – and on top of Regulus's things.

Regulus, now upset, shoves Scabior's things off his stuff. The two start to squabble between themselves, voices slowly rising from whispers to near-shouts. Suddenly, Scabior is scrambling up from his seat, hand raised like he's going to hit Regulus when Severus snaps at the two of them. Both boys' eyes train on Lily's friend. Severus says a few more things in that low, authoritative tone of his. Regulus's expression turns contrite as Scabior sinks back into his seat, expression sulky. He mutters something at Regulus that Lily thinks may be an apology – if Regulus nodding his head and smiling slightly is any indication.

Both then look to Severus, who nods at them, countenance shaped into one of satisfaction. Appearing pleased that Severus is pleased, Scabior reaches into his satchel and pulls out a book and parchment. Quietly, he points at the paper and opens his book. He gestures between the two, looking at Severus now and again, before going back to his textbook.

Thoughtfully, Severus takes the text from Scabior. He turns his head and says something to Regulus. The second-year scrambles to grab his wand and then starts to chant an incantation over his quill. Once he's practicing his charm, Severus returns his attention to Scabior. He starts to point at parts of the book, then at the parchment Scabior had brought out along with it.

Lily giggles soundlessly into her hands. Once upon a time, Lily could hardly imagine herself and Severus being mates again. Now, she is. Now, she can see him being a father – something she would have never dreamed of before. While their years apart has undoubtedly brought more pain and agony to Severus than she can begin to fathom, it's also taught him valuable lessons that have been highly beneficial to not only him, but both of them, in this second chance.

She hopes they can come out of whatever trials they are to face in the coming years alive so Severus has the opportunity to be all that he can be.

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 **How'd you enjoy this Gladoo89? I think it turned out fairly on point for your prompt.**

 **Thank you everybody for reading _Gratias Vobis Ago_ :)**


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